This invention relates to a sliding vehicle door and more particularly to a manual release mechanism for a power operated sliding vehicle door.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,365 granted to Howard W. Kuhlman et ux May 31, 1994 discloses a van that has a sliding door that is power operated by a direct current electric motor. The Kuhlman ""365 patent is herein incorporated by reference. As shown in FIG. 9 of the Kuhlman ""365 patent and herein disclosed as FIG. 12, the direct current motor drives front and rear cable drive pulleys (A), (B) which simultaneously reel and unreel front and rear cables (C), (D) that are attached to a hinge and roller assembly (E). The hinge and roller assembly (E) is attached pivotally to the rear portion of the sliding door (not shown) and travels in a center track (F) that is located in the rear quarter body panel of the van behind the opening for the sliding door. Center track (F) has a curved forward end (G) that guides the hinge and roller assembly (E) so that the rear portion of the sliding door is moved horizontally inwardly toward the side of the van in the closed position. The power mechanism incorporates a clutch which permits manual operation of the door without engaging the motor. When operating manually, the gear train, cables and pulleys must rotate or move as if the electric motor were actuated. Due to the high gear ratio of the gear drive, from the electric motor to the cable drive pulleys, the sliding door is difficult to move in the manual mode.
This invention provides a manual release mechanism so that a sliding door normally operated by a powered pulley system can be manually opened and closed easily. Preferably, manual operation of the sliding door is the same as if the powered pulley system did not exist. A hinge roller assembly, pivotally engaged between a track of a vehicle and a sliding door, has a passage which longitudinally extends along the track. A powered pulley system has a forward and rearward cable interconnected by a bullet assembly. The bullet assembly moves along the track with the forward and rearward cables when the powered pulley system is energized. When moving, the bullet assembly is either engaged within the passage, thereby moving the door, or is moving into the passage to re-engage with the hinge roller assembly and thereby the door.
Mounted on the hinge roller assembly is a spring loaded pin which projects into the passage when the pin is in a rest position. An operator attached to the pin is capable of retracting the pin from the passage. When retracted, the hinge roller assembly is disengaged from the bullet assembly and the door is capable of manual operation without incurring movement or resistance from the powered pulley system.
With the pin in the rest position, and the bullet assembly disposed outside of the passage, the bullet assembly must first move into the passage and engage the pin, before the powered pulley system can move the door. To do this, the bullet assembly has a forward and a rearward portion having respective forward and rearward noses oriented back-to-back. A space, or preferably a groove, is defined between the forward and rearward portions so that the projecting pin can ride against the nose, moving radially outward, as the bullet assembly enters the passage and until the pin snaps into the groove. With the pin in the groove, the bullet assembly is locked to the hinge roller assembly.
A feature of the present invention is the ability to completely disengage or divorce a power system of a sliding door from the door permitting easy manual operation of the door.